MCA physios, trainers sacked by employers
It’s not just maidan groundsmen and private coaching academies that are struggling due to the city’s complete shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, lack of cricketing activity has seen physiotherapists and trainers attached to various Mumbai teams losing their jobs.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has terminated its contract with YOS Healthcare Private Limited, which provided physios and trainers for the Mumbai teams over the last two years. The contract was till July but the MCA has decided to terminate it prematurely. In turn, the company has disengaged their services with immediate effect.
In an email to its members, Rahul Patwardhan, the co-founder and director of YOS, said: “With a heavy heart, I am obliged to inform you of MCA’S decision to discontinue our services citing lack of clarity on the resumption of activities at the academy. We will disengage your professional services with immediate effect which reflects our current status with the MCA.”
However, payment to all staff members directly employed by the MCA has been paid on time.
“There has been no cricket activity since mid-march and we had already made an advance payment to the company till April. Their contract was till July but there was no point in continuing with it. We have terminated most of our contracts. When cricket resumes, we will put out fresh tenders for various contracts,” said a senior MCA official who did not wish to be named.
Those who have lost their jobs overnight are shocked. “We don’t know how to react. Even going by the rules, they can’t terminate our services abruptly. They should pay us salaries for May. Our contract was with YOS, not with the MCA,” said one physio. “We were continuously working, guiding the players on their fitness and training. We were also preparing reports from analysing the data of the last season.”
Earlier, the support staff was hired directly by the MCA but for the last two years, the MCA had entered into a contract with the Bengaluru-based YOS. With no private training expected for at least two months, the impacted support staff members are hoping for an assurance from the MCA that their services will be retained for the next season.